Airports Commission

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider amending the terms of reference of the Airports Commission to include consideration of air-rail intermodality, surface access, modal shift from road to rail, and modal shift from air to rail.

Earl Attlee: As part of its work the Government expects the Airports Commission to fully examine all the surface access needs of any potential development that it recommends. The Government have no plans to amend the Airports Commission's terms of reference.

Armed Forces: Unmanned Aircraft

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 11 December 2012 (WA 211), with which international partners they operate unmanned aircraft systems; how many training and trials events for such systems have been undertaken in the last 12 months; and what were the location of any such training and trials events in United Kingdom airspace.

Lord Astor of Hever: In support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the United Kingdom operates the Reaper Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) in Afghanistan in co-operation with the United States Air Force. Reaper is the only UK RPAS that is operated with an international partner. Royal Air Force pilots undertake their Reaper conversion training in the United States. No Reaper training or trials events have taken place in the UK.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve access to legal representation for asylum seekers whose (1) applications and (2) appeals have been refused.

Lord McNally: Asylum cases will continue to qualify for legal aid funding when the reforms to legal aid in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 are implemented from April this year. This includes legal aid for appeals to the First-tier Tribunal, the Upper Tribunal and the higher courts.
	The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is in the process of finalising the award of new legal aid contracts for asylum work. These contracts will start on 1 April. There was significant demand for the available work with organisations bidding for more than three times the advertised work across England and Wales. The process of verifying successful tenders and entering into contracts is still ongoing but the LSC anticipates that there will continue to be good access to asylum advice funded by legal aid from April.

Bank of England

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they or the Bank of England have taken legal advice on the Bank of England's compliance with the legal requirements set under Section 11 of the Bank of England Act 1998.

Lord Deighton: Section 11 of the Bank of England Act 1998 states that the objectives of the Bank of England are to maintain price stability and, subject to that, to support the economic policy of the Government.
	Section 12 of the Act deals with the specifications of matters relevant to the objectives. As required under Section 12, at Budget 2012, the Chancellor set the remit for the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). The remit specifies price stability as an inflation rate of 2% measured by the 12-month increase in the consumer prices index, which is the operational target of the MPC.
	The MPC sets monetary policy in order to meet the 2% inflation target in the medium term. Legal advice has not been sought, as the remit recognises that on occasions the actual inflation rate will depart from its target as a result of shocks and disturbances. The remit states: "Attempts to keep inflation at the inflation target in these circumstances may cause undesirable volatility in output".

Bank of England

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government when was the last time HM Treasury, under Section 12 of the Bank of England Act 1998, wrote to the Bank of England specifying (1) what price stability should be taken to consist of, and (2) what the economic policy of Her Majesty's Government is to be taken to be; and what was in the letter.

Lord Deighton: The Bank of England Act 1998 states that the objectives of the Bank of England are to maintain price stability and, subject to that, to support the economic policy of the Government. Section 12 of the Act requires the Chancellor to specify what price stability is taken to consist of and the Government's economic policy objectives at least once in every period of 12 months beginning on the anniversary of the day the Act came into force.
	The Chancellor specified these objectives in a letter to the Governor of the Bank of England, with a remit for the MPC, on 21 March 2012, alongside Budget 20121. The Chancellor specified price stability as an inflation rate of 2% measured by the 12-month increase in the consumer prices index (CPI), which is the operational target for monetary policy. The Chancellor confirmed that the Government's economic policy objective is to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.
	The remit states further: "The framework takes into account that any economy at some point can suffer from external events or temporary difficulties, often beyond its control. The framework is based on the recognition that actual inflation rate will on occasions depart from its target as a result of shocks and disturbances. Attempts to keep inflation at the inflation target in these circumstances may cause undesirable volatility in output".
	A copy of the remit and the Chancellor's letter to the governor can be found in the Library of the House.
	1 http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/open_letter_from_ chx_to_boe_ 21032012.pdf

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK Financial Investments reviewed and approved in principle the sale of branches by Lloyds Banking Group to the Co-operative Bank.

Lord Deighton: The execution of the Verde divestment, the name given to the divestment programme of retail and commercial assets of Lloyds Banking Group, is a commercial matter for the bank, subject to adherence to the terms of the state aid agreement.
	UK Financial Investments works closely with Lloyds to assure itself of the bank's approach to strategy and to hold management rigorously to account for performance. Within this framework, operational management decisions are for the banks themselves without interference from shareholders.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the reasons for the approach adopted by HM Treasury to the approval of bonuses to bankers employed by Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland; and to what extent they reviewed and approved individual bonuses at each bank.

Lord Deighton: The Government have been clear that the banks must act responsibly in setting bonuses and continues to take robust action to tackle unacceptable remuneration.
	However, the Government's investments in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) are managed on their behalf by UK Financial Investments (UKFI) at an arm's-length and commercial basis.
	UKFI engages with the remuneration committees of both banks in line with UKFI's objective of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer.

Benefits

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) have, as one of their primary or secondary disabling health conditions limiting work ability, alcohol abuse or chronic alcoholism; how many, and what percentage, of those in that category came off DLA into work in the last year; whether they can retain the extra benefit for care and mobility if they decline to be treated for their addiction; and, if so, why.

Lord Freud: The information requested regarding disability living allowance (DLA) recipients is not available in the format asked for. The department only collects data on drug and alcohol abuse as one main disabling condition. This information can be found at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php? page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at: http://research .dwp. gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
	DLA provides a contribution towards the extra costs of disability and is paid in and out of work. The department, therefore, does not need to collate data relating to employment status or ability to work
	Entitlement to DLA is not based on having a specific health condition, but depends on what help the person needs with personal care as a result of their disability and/or the extent of their mobility difficulties. DLA continues to be paid while the entitlement conditions are met; whether a person seeks treatment or not for their condition is not a prerequisite to entitlement.

Children: Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The UK signed the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in May 2008. Officials are leading the work to establish the steps that would be required to ratify and implement the convention. Ratification is not a straightforward process and this work needs to be further progressed before any further decisions can be made, including in relation to timescales.

Drugs

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many illicit drug addicts they estimate to be in the United Kingdom, and what proportion of them are receiving treatment; and (2) how many long-term prescribed drug addicts there are in the United Kingdom, and what proportion of those are receiving treatment.

Earl Howe: According to the 2011-12 Crime Survey for England and Wales (formerly the British Crime Survey), 2,916,000 people had taken an illicit drug in England and Wales in the previous 12 months. That measures usage and therefore does not mean they are addicts. There were 197,110 people recorded as being in drug treatment in England in 2011-12 according to the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS).
	Assessing dependence on prescription drugs and its severity can only be done using local data on a case-by-case basis taking account of duration and impact of use, the condition for which the medicines were prescribed and whether withdrawal symptoms become apparent when the dose is decreased. This can only be done by individual prescribers and their patients. NDTMS records 4,048 people as being in specialist treatment for dependence on prescription-only medicines or over-the-counter medicines, but does not record those who are being supported to withdraw by primary care services.

Energy: Nuclear Power Stations

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how their policy for constructing nuclear power stations is related to United Kingdom and international programmes to reduce nuclear waste stockpiles.

Baroness Verma: The European Union has adopted a new directive on the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, which requires member states to have plans in place to safely manage their radioactive waste and spent fuel from generation to disposal.
	The UK Government's policy for the long-term, safe and secure management of higher-activity radioactive waste is to place it in a geological disposal facility (GDF). Until a GDF is implemented, we will continue to make use of safe, secure and environmentally acceptable interim storage arrangements. The Government have set out arrangements to ensure that the operators of new nuclear power stations will pay their full share of the costs of decommissioning and disposal by making secure financial provisions for their liabilities from the outset.

EU: Alternative Investment Funds

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they were consulted by European Union authorities on the technical details of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive; if so, how; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that directive on United Kingdom interests.

Lord Deighton: The EU Commission's development of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) delegated regulation was informed by advice from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), to which the Financial Services Authority contributed. The Commission consulted member states through an expert working group and written responses.
	The Government are comfortable with much of the regulation, which is very broad-ranging. The measures should allow AIFMD to be implemented successfully. There are a number of areas in which the draft regulation diverges from ESMA advice and where the Government believe they have the potential to impose some unnecessary costs and restrict flexibility for the industry to best meet investors' needs. The Government consider it is important that industry now has certainty over operational details ahead of the directive's implementation in July 2013. The Government's fuller assessment is set out in their Explanatory Memorandum, which is in the Library of the House.

Food: Botanicals

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether in their response to the European Commission's Discussion Paper on Health Claims on Botanicals Used in Foods, they supported Option 1, to retain the status quo, or Option 2, to review the legislation; and when the European Commission is expected to come forward with proposals for the future legislative treatment of botanicals in foods.

Earl Howe: The United Kingdom's response to the European Commission's Discussion Paper on Health Claims on Botanicals Used in Foods reflected the range of very different views and strong arguments for and against each option, which were received from government departments, industry representatives and consumer groups. As a result, further consideration of this issue and discussion of possible alternative legislation covering claims about botanicals in foods, including food supplements, is warranted. However, the Government did not commit to either option, at this stage.

Food: Hygiene Inspectors

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of advisory and educational visits made by local authority food standards inspectors to food businesses in (1) 2009-10, (2) 2010-11, and (3) 2011-12.

Earl Howe: Advice and education visits may be carried out by local authorities to advise food business operators either on food hygiene (covering subjects related to safety of food and its fitness for human consumption) or on food standards (including advice on presentation, labelling and composition).
	The following table, based on local authority returns to the Food Standards Agency, shows the number of advice and education visits delivered as a part of local authority activities across the United Kingdom since 2009-10 for both food hygiene and food standards.
	
		
			 Advice and Education visits 
			 Year Food Hygiene Food Standards Total 
			 2009-10 22,247 4,527 26,774 
			 2010-11 19,824 5,231 25,055 
			 2011-12 22,276 7,594 29,870

Food: Labelling

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider requiring improved labelling for all foods so as to indicate country and place of origin.

Lord De Mauley: Requirements for origin labelling have been incorporated into the food information to consumers regulation (EU No 1169/2011). The UK supported extending compulsory origin labelling to all fresh meat and a review of extending origin labelling for other foods. We have requested that the European Commission's report looking into the costs and benefits of mandatory origin labelling is brought forward so that an informed, proportionate decision can be taken. We also supported the requirement for origin information to be given where failure to indicate this might mislead the consumer as to the true country of origin or place of provenance of the food.

Health: Cardiology

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent research findings suggesting that the National Health Service could save money and lives if patients were checked to see if they had scarring of the heart before decisions are made on whether to implant a defibrillator.

Earl Howe: The decision about whether to implant a defibrillator into a patient is a clinical one, taking into account all the available evidence, including any advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Health: Diabetes

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the success of recent Israeli-developed therapies for the treatment of diabetes.

Earl Howe: The department is aware of the contribution made by Israeli clinicians and scientists in the field of diabetes research.
	In particular, the department is aware of the work on the artificial pancreas being developed at the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Tel Aviv, the clinical trial being conducted by Andromeda Biotech using the synthetic peptide DiaPep277 as an alternative to insulin treatment in type 1 diabetes and of the developmental work in the transplantation of insulin-producing pancreatic cells in individuals with type 1 diabetes being undertaken at Ben-Gurion University by Professor Smadar Cohen.
	It will be for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to decide if the findings from these research projects are adopted into national guidelines.

Herbal Medicines

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to fulfil their commitment, undertaken by the then Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, on 16 February 2011 (Official Report, col. 84WS), to establish a statutory register for practitioners supplying unlicensed herbal medicines.

Earl Howe: The legislation around this policy is complex and there are a number of issues that have arisen which we need to work through. We appreciate that the delay in going out to consult on this matter is causing concern; however, it is important that any new legislation is proportionate and fit for purpose. The department intends to make an announcement on the progress of this policy shortly.

Housing Benefit

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each local authority for the last three financial years, what were the total amounts of unused discretionary housing payment funding returned to the Government.

Lord Freud: The total amount of unused discretionary housing payments in the last three financial years for each local authority is as below.
	There was less demand for DHPs in 2011-12 than originally envisaged; therefore, the department agreed that local authorities could carry over unused funding from 2011-12 to 2012-13 to help a greater number of claimants.
	
		
			 Total amounts of unused discretionary housing payments 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Aberdeen £0 £0 £21,665 
			 Aberdeenshire £0 £2,170 £2,626 
			 Adur £0 £0 £6,591 
			 Allerdale £329 £229 £1,313 
			 Amber Valley £0 £0 £12,114 
			 Angus £0 £0 £0 
			 Argyll-Bute £461 £0 £0 
			 Arun £0 £0 £48,977 
			 Ashfield £0 £0 £0 
			 Ashford £0 £0 £1,441 
			 Aylesbury Vale £0 £0 £0 
			 Babergh £0 £0 £4,499 
			 Barking £0 £6,797 £28,181 
			 Barnet £0 £0 £107,127 
			 Barnsley £0 £0 £0 
			 Barrow in Furness £263 £27 £459 
			 Basildon £1,673 £298 £9,319 
			 Basingstoke £0 £0 £5,316 
			 Bassetlaw £1,831 £0 £15,033 
			 Bath & NE Somerset £0 £0 £6,334 
			 Bedford £0 £0 £0 
			 Bexley £0 £0 £21,930 
			 Birmingham £0 £0 £102,483 
			 Blaby £0 £0 £0 
			 Blackburn £0 £0 £0 
			 Blackpool £3,119 £0 £92,829 
			 Blaenau Gwent £0 £0 £0 
			 Bolsover £0 £0 £0 
			 Bolton £0 £0 £0 
			 Boston £179 £0 £1,689 
			 Bournemouth £0 £0 £26,881 
			 Bracknell £0 £0 £5,599 
			 Bradford £0 £0 £0 
			 Braintree £0 £2,235 £4,214 
			 Breckland £0 £0 £14,319 
			 Brent £0 £0 £346,026 
			 Brentwood £0 £0 £0 
			 Bridgend £2,592 £0 £5,224 
			 Brighton & Hove £3,031 £0 £219,585 
			 Bristol £0 £0 £40,058 
			 Broadland £0 £0 £9,456 
			 Bromley £0 £0 £38,356 
			 Bromsgrove £0 £0 £0 
			 Broxbourne £1,605 £2,081 £7,142 
			 Broxtowe £0 £0 £12,229 
			 Burnley £0 £0 £0 
			 Bury £0 £0 £17,775 
			 Caerphilly £0 £3,332 £4,176 
			 Calderdale £2,217 £5,999 £22,420 
			 Cambridge £724 £0 £0 
			 Camden £0 £0 £150,963 
			 Cannock Chase £0 £445 £141 
			 Canterbury £0 £874 £0 
			 Cardiff £0 £29,201 £0 
			 Carlisle £0 £0 £3,832 
			 Carmarthenshire £0 £0 £22,710 
			 Castle Point £0 £0 £0 
			 Central Bedfordshire £2,170 £2,159 £0 
			 Ceredigion £0 £0 £0 
			 Charnwood £0 £0 £525 
			 Chelmsford £0 £1,681 £11,362 
			 Cheltenham £0 £0 £14,083 
			 Cherwell £0 £0 £20,985 
			 Cheshire East BC £0 £0 £23,768 
			 Cheshire West & Chester £0 £0 £9,811 
			 Chesterfield £659 £0 £12,399 
			 Chichester £0 £0 £0 
			 Chiltern £0 £0 £21,543 
			 Chorley £0 £499 £336 
			 Christchurch £0 £0 £15,398 
			 City of London £0 £262 £1,403 
			 Clackmannanshire £0 £0 £0 
			 Colchester £0 £0 £9,336 
			 Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar £0 £0 £572 
			 Conwy £0 £0 £10,673 
			 Copeland £0 £0 £78 
			 Corby £0 £0 £5,472 
			 Cornwall £16,613 £0 £0 
			 Cotswold £0 £0 £2,201 
			 Coventry £0 £0 £38,654 
			 Craven £225 £0 £0 
			 Crawley £0 £0 £0 
			 Croydon £0 £0 £7,822 
			 Dacorum £0 £0 £0 
			 Darlington £0 £0 £0 
			 Dartford £0 £1,752 £1,768 
			 Daventry £0 £0 £2,330 
			 Denbighshire £0 £5,210 £3,937 
			 Derby £0 £18,494 £45,824 
			 Derbyshire Dales £489 £0 £2,405 
			 Doncaster £0 £0 £27,718 
			 Dover £0 £0 £1,932 
			 Dudley £0 £0 £17,657 
			 Dumfries & Galloway £0 £274 £1,068 
			 Dundee £0 £0 £0 
			 Durham £6,381 £0 £0 
			 Ealing £0 £0 £51,260 
			 East Ayrshire £2,664 £0 £648 
			 East Cambridgeshire £0 £0 £2,107 
			 East Devon £0 £0 £17,585 
			 East Dorset £0 £0 £14,584 
			 East Dunbartonshire £2,793 £0 £0 
			 East Hampshire £107 £965 £534 
			 East Hertfordshire £0 £1,428 £1,378 
			 East Lindsey £0 £937 £18,446 
			 East Lothian £0 £0 £4,395 
			 East Northampton £654 £0 £5,283 
			 East Renfrewshire £5,803 £0 £4,084 
			 East Riding £0 £6,192 £32,368 
			 East Staffordshire £0 £0 £1,198 
			 Eastbourne £0 £0 £0 
			 Eastleigh £588 £2,778 £726 
			 Eden £1,026 £558 £2,204 
			 Edinburgh £0 £0 £0 
			 Elmbridge £788 £0 £74,082 
			 Enfield £0 £0 £74,414 
			 Epping Forest £6,946 £0 £10,431 
			 Epsom and Ewell £0 £0 £9,170 
			 Erewash £0 £0 £15,148 
			 Exeter £0 £0 £0 
			 Falkirk £0 £0 £512 
			 Fareham £0 £3,687 £2,251 
			 Fenland £0 £977 £994 
			 Fife £0 £0 £3,477 
			 Flintshire £0 £0 £1,469 
			 Forest Heath £0 £4,026 £6,457 
			 Forest of Dean £0 £0 £0 
			 Fylde £0 £140 £13,007 
			 Gateshead £0 £0 £11,239 
			 Gedling £0 £3,066 £0 
			 Glasgow £0 £0 £0 
			 Gloucester £1,316 £6,503 £16,439 
			 Gosport £0 £386 £3,154 
			 Gravesham £629 £0 £0 
			 Great Yarmouth £2,135 £12,131 £3,017 
			 Greenwich £0 £0 £34,973 
			 Guildford £2,183 £0 £8,662 
			 Gwynedd £0 £0 £0 
			 Hackney £0 £0 £184,041 
			 Halton £0 £0 £9,861 
			 Hambleton £1,929 £1,632 £0 
			 Hammersmith £0 £0 £134,600 
			 Harborough £0 £0 £1,364 
			 Haringey £0 £0 £165,709 
			 Harlow £0 £0 £7,242 
			 Harrogate £0 £0 £9,685 
			 Harrow £0 £0 £29,822 
			 Hart £898 £138 £7,953 
			 Hartlepool £0 £0 £1,102 
			 Hastings £0 £0 £0 
			 Havant £0 £0 £0 
			 Havering £0 £0 £24,050 
			 Herefordshire £0 £0 £24,615 
			 Hertsmere £0 £0 £0 
			 High Peak £0 £0 £16,249 
			 Highland £0 £0 £0 
			 Hillingdon £9,610 £0 £67,334 
			 Hinckley & Bosworth £509 £27 £2,441 
			 Horsham £920 £2,393 £4,487 
			 Hounslow £0 £0 £9,226 
			 Huntingdon £0 £108 £9,679 
			 Hyndburn £0 £4,092 £364 
			 Inverclyde £0 £0 £0 
			 Ipswich £3,694 £6,562 £10,402 
			 Isle of Anglesey £0 £0 £6,499 
			 Isle of Wight £1,296 £0 £22,214 
			 Isles of Scilly £0 £0 £19 
			 Islington £0 £10,486 £97,692 
			 Kensington & Chelsea £0 £0 £148,333 
			 Kettering £1,168 £0 £5,157 
			 Kings Lynn & West Norfolk £0 £0 £10,839 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull £7,897 £0 £0 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames £0 £0 £46,736 
			 Kirklees £0 £0 £63,205 
			 Knowsley £0 £0 £2,294 
			 Lambeth £0 £0 £100,911 
			 Lancaster £0 £69 £6,420 
			 Leeds £0 £0 £139,495 
			 Leicester £0 £0 £12,060 
			 Lewes £0 £0 £4,508 
			 Lewisham £0 £0 £0 
			 Lichfield £94 £0 £0 
			 Lincoln £5,964 £30,206 £25,414 
			 Liverpool £6,688 £0 £121,592 
			 Luton £0 £1,712 £27,785 
			 Maidstone £0 £11,002 £66,998 
			 Maldon £0 £0 £7,611 
			 Malvern Hills £5,715 £1,384 £6,582 
			 Manchester £0 £0 £248,111 
			 Mansfield £0 £12,324 £5,194 
			 Medway Towns £0 £0 £21,088 
			 Melton £2,231 £0 £704 
			 Mendip £1,934 £0 £0 
			 Merthyr Tydfil £0 £0 £9,285 
			 Merton £0 £5,945 £18,342 
			 Mid Devon £1,070 £0 £117 
			 Mid Suffolk £0 £0 £2,017 
			 Mid Sussex £0 £0 £2,290 
			 Middlesbrough £0 £0 £12,073 
			 Midlothian £0 £0 £4,668 
			 Milton Keynes £0 £0 £16,281 
			 Mole Valley £708 £722 £9,429 
			 Monmouthshire £0 £0 £0 
			 Moray £2,471 £0 £0 
			 Neath Port Talbot £0 £0 £0 
			 New Forest £0 £0 £8,479 
			 Newark £0 £387 £0 
			 Newcastle under Lyme £369 £0 £0 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne £0 £0 £9,087 
			 Newham £0 £0 £58,915 
			 Newport £0 £0 £0 
			 North Ayrshire £0 £0 £355 
			 North Devon £2,325 £0 £2,898 
			 North Dorset £0 £0 £5,705 
			 North East Derby £0 £1,842 £0 
			 North East Lincoln £0 £4,330 £24,716 
			 North Hertfordshire £0 £0 £3,280 
			 North Kesteven £0 £0 £0 
			 North Lanarkshire £0 £0 £0 
			 North Lincolnshire £0 £0 £14,834 
			 North Norfolk £0 £0 £158 
			 North Somerset £0 £5,978 £16,558 
			 North Tyneside £0 £0 £0 
			 North Warwickshire £0 £0 £3,630 
			 North West Leicester £0 £0 £1,745 
			 Northampton £0 £0 £0 
			 Norwich £0 £0 £34,529 
			 Northumberland £5,117 £0 £0 
			 Nottingham £0 £0 £56,697 
			 Nuneaton £0 £2,015 £1,039 
			 Oadby and Wigston £1,536 £190 £4,425 
			 Oldham £0 £0 £0 
			 Orkney £291 £0 £266 
			 Oxford £0 £0 £0 
			 Pembrokeshire £0 £5,236 £14,982 
			 Pendle £0 £4,250 £3,211 
			 Perth & Kinross £0 £0 £0 
			 Peterborough £0 £1,937 £43,857 
			 Plymouth £0 £2,399 £32,925 
			 Poole £0 £3,842 £3,017 
			 Portsmouth £0 £328 £0 
			 Powys £0 £0 £0 
			 Preston £3,086 £2,506 £4,735 
			 Purbeck £1,289 £0 £5,290 
			 Reading £0 £0 £8,373 
			 Redbridge £0 £7,045 £7,276 
			 Redcar & Cleveland £0 £0 £0 
			 Redditch £0 £0 £0 
			 Reigate and Banstead £0 £0 £0 
			 Renfrewshire £0 £0 £0 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff £0 £0 £7,277 
			 Ribble Valley £0 £0 £0 
			 Richmondshire £0 £120 £77,924 
			 Richmond upon Thames £0 £0 £0 
			 Rochdale £0 £0 £37,939 
			 Rochford £0 £1,461 £10,735 
			 Rossendale £545 £0 £4,358 
			 Rother £8,523 £7,724 £11,787 
			 Rotherham £0 £0 £6,679 
			 Rugby £0 £0 £4,557 
			 Runnymede £0 £0 £0 
			 Rushcliffe £0 £1,457 £10,315 
			 Rushmoor £1,373 £143 £0 
			 Rutland £0 £0 £766 
			 Ryedale £256 £1,537 £2,024 
			 Salford £0 £2,087 £232 
			 Sandwell £0 £0 £5,280 
			 Scarborough £0 £693 £27,800 
			 Scottish Borders £2,360 £0 £0 
			 Sedgemoor £0 £0 £0 
			 Sefton £0 £0 £39,766 
			 Selby £1,796 £0 £7,028 
			 Sevenoaks £0 £3,966 £4,575 
			 Sheffield £0 £0 £24,288 
			 Shepway £9,521 £0 £13,007 
			 Shetland £0 £26 £441 
			 Shropshire £11,339 £0 £5 
			 Slough £1,265 £0 £38,841 
			 Solihull £0 £0 £18,394 
			 South Ayrshire £0 £0 £0 
			 South Bucks £0 £54 £3,597 
			 South Cambridgeshire £282 £0 £7,458 
			 South Derbyshire £0 £1,166 £0 
			 South Glos £0 £0 £50,706 
			 South Hams £0 £0 £0 
			 South Holland £0 £0 £0 
			 South Kesteven £0 £0 £0 
			 South Lakeland £2,097 £7,554 £19,488 
			 South Lanarkshire £0 £0 £21,499 
			 South Norfolk £0 £0 £0 
			 South Northants £0 £2,116 £1,746 
			 South Oxfordshire £1,773 £4,350 £9,528 
			 South Ribble £2,283 £0 £4,439 
			 South Somerset £0 £0 £0 
			 South Staffordshire £0 £0 £0 
			 South Tyneside £6,789 £0 £10,822 
			 Southampton £778 £0 £47,555 
			 Southend on Sea £0 £0 £49,624 
			 Southwark £0 £0 £0 
			 Spelthorne £3,131 £2,780 £0 
			 St Albans £0 £1,905 £16,116 
			 St Edmundsbury £4,313 £0 £0 
			 St Helens £0 £9,621 £376 
			 Stafford £0 £0 £6,197 
			 Staffs Moorlands £0 £0 £2 
			 Stevenage £0 £491 £0 
			 Stirling £0 £0 £14,094 
			 Stockport £0 £0 £0 
			 Stockton on Tees £0 £0 £18,311 
			 Stoke on Trent £0 £0 £6,931 
			 Stratford-on-Avon £0 £0 £0 
			 Stroud £0 £2,045 £9,784 
			 Suffolk Coastal £0 £0 £26,966 
			 Sunderland £0 £4,037 £42,682 
			 Surrey Heath £0 £0 £0 
			 Sutton £0 £0 £17,855 
			 Swale £10,152 £0 £10,850 
			 Swansea £0 £0 £12,142 
			 Swindon £0 £0 £11,464 
			 Tameside £0 £0 £7,543 
			 Tamworth £0 £4,046 £10,394 
			 Tandridge £500 £6,869 £7,547 
			 Taunton Deane £0 £470 £2,238 
			 Teignbridge £0 £0 £1,834 
			 Telford and Wrekin £0 £0 £14,017 
			 Tendring £0 £0 £10,759 
			 Test Valley £0 £0 £0 
			 Tewkesbury £0 £0 £0 
			 Thanet £0 £0 £5,437 
			 Three Rivers £9,508 £5,646 £0 
			 Thurrock £0 £0 £10,393 
			 Tonbridge & Malling £1,377 £0 £0 
			 Torbay £0 £0 £13,703 
			 Torfaen £0 £0 £0 
			 Torridge £0 £0 £5,723 
			 Tower Hamlets £0 £0 £34,262 
			 Trafford £0 £0 £8,325 
			 Tunbridge Wells £0 £6,737 £12,634 
			 Uttlesford £74 £0 £2,762 
			 Vale of Glamorgan £496 £0 £23,658 
			 Vale of White Horse £3,457 £1,119 £11,471 
			 Wakefield £0 £0 £0 
			 Walsall £0 £0 £0 
			 Waltham Forest £0 £0 £22,561 
			 Wandsworth £0 £0 £48,798 
			 Warrington £0 £0 £0 
			 Warwick £0 £1,290 £6,751 
			 Watford £6,377 £0 £0 
			 Waveney £0 £0 £0 
			 Waverley £0 £0 £20,265 
			 Wealden £0 £0 £0 
			 Wellingborough £0 £0 £1,586 
			 Welwyn Hatfield £0 £0 £0 
			 West Berkshire £5,926 £0 £0 
			 West Devon £0 £0 £4,111 
			 West Dorset £5,447 £0 £11,993 
			 West Dunbartonshire £0 £0 £0 
			 West Lancashire £0 £5,740 £12,393 
			 West Lindsey £0 £3,036 £5,479 
			 West Lothian £0 £0 £0 
			 West Oxfordshire £0 £0 £8,651 
			 West Somerset £0 £1,177 £1,847 
			 Westminster £0 £0 £76,503 
			 Weymouth & Portland £0 £0 £19,844 
			 Wigan £0 £0 £37,628 
			 Wiltshire £47,466 £0 £16,653 
			 Winchester £484 £958 £7,822 
			 Windsor & Maidenhead £0 £0 £0 
			 Wirral £173,174 £93,360 £12,869 
			 Woking £0 £0 £3,734 
			 Wokingham £2,868 £0 £8,673 
			 Wolverhampton £0 £24,165 £46,948 
			 Worcester £4,070 £0 £13,693 
			 Worthing £5,997 £5,840 £21,975 
			 Wrexham £738 £0 £12,622 
			 Wychavon £6,164 £584 £13,796 
			 Wycombe £0 £0 £33,948 
			 Wyre £0 £0 £0 
			 Wyre Forest £4,965 £0 £0 
			 York £0 £0 £0 
		
	
	Source: Unused amounts calculated by comparing government contribution and amounts claimed by local authorities.

Insurance: Payment Protection Insurance

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 14 February (WA 176-7) on the subject of payment protection insurance, whether they will ensure that the Financial Services Authority's response is also published in the Official Report.

Lord Deighton: The Financial Services Authority responded to the noble Lord's question relating to payment protection insurance on 13 March. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.

NHS: Military Veterans

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 26 February (WA 293), what specific examples of advice the Department of Health provided on how priority treatment should be applied.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 26 February (WA 293), what definition of service-related condition is used by the Department of Health uses for establishing priority status; and what guidelines secondary care clinicians consult when comparing veterans' treatment needs to the clinical needs of non-veterans.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 26 February (WA 293), what is the protocol when a veteran files a complaint about improper priority-status rejection.

Earl Howe: General practitioners (GPs) are asked, when making referrals relating to a military veteran for diagnosis or treatment, where they are aware of the patient's veteran status, to record that status as part of the referral. If the patient does not want the GP to record their veteran status the information should not be included. If GPs consider that priority treatment might be appropriate because the condition to which the referral relates is likely to be related to the patient's time in the services, GPs are asked to include details in the referral. There is no specific definition of a service-related condition and it will be the judgment of the individual GP based on the information provided by the veteran. The veteran may also be able to provide evidence of the condition being service-related through receipt of a war pension or Armed Forces compensation scheme payment.
	Where the patient is content for their veteran status to be included, GPs are asked to clearly state this when drafting referral letters including, in their clinical opinion, that the condition may be related to military service.
	When utilising "Choose and Book", GPs are asked to refer normally and select the correct appointment priority based on the patient's medical condition (routine/urgent or two-week wait) including veteran details in the referral letter: www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk/staff/communications/fact/Armed-Forces.pdf
	Where secondary care clinicians agree that a veteran's condition is likely to be service-related, they are asked to prioritise veterans over other patients with the same level of clinical need. However, and as set out in David Nicholson's letter of December 2007, it remains the case that veterans should not be given priority over other patients with more urgent clinical needs.
	A veteran is able to make a complaint about the treatment received through the NHS complaints procedure, details of which can be provided by the NHS organisation being accessed.

National Crime Agency

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to establish the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The National Crime Agency (NCA) will be established through the Crime and Courts Bill, which was introduced into the House of Lords in May 2012 and is in the process of completing its parliamentary passage. The NCA will be a UK-wide crime fighting agency focused on tackling serious, organised and complex crime.
	As a result of the Northern Ireland Executive's decision not to take forward legislative consent for the National Crime Agency, the Bill includes a new schedule (The NCA: Northern Ireland) which sets out those provisions that will not extend to Northern Ireland together with a series of order-making powers to fully extend the NCA provisions, subject to the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly, should the position in Northern Ireland change.
	The NCA will still operate in Northern Ireland and the Bill preserves the agency's activities in relation to reserved/excepted matters in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Executive

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings they had with the leaders of each of the parties in the Northern Ireland Executive or their representatives during 2012.

Baroness Randerson: During 2012, Ministers at the Northern Ireland Office met the leaders and/or representatives of the parties in the Northern Ireland Executive on a number of occasions and will continue to do so.

Post Office

Lord Renton of Mount Harry: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that customers of new village Post Office Local branches can continue to (1) pay cheques to HM Revenue and Customs, (2) make transactions using paying-in slips, (3) pay utility bills with cheques, (4) post overseas parcels exceeding 2 kilograms, and (5) purchase special stamp issues commemorating significant persons and events from British history.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The availability of specific services across the post office network, including those operating the Post Office Local model, is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to my noble friend, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Library of the House.
	However, I note that a local model was extensively piloted in over 230 locations across the UK ahead of a national rollout in October 2012. Of these pilot branches, over half were piloted in rural areas. Independent research on behalf of Post Office Ltd found that the vast majority of customers stated that the local model was an improvement over the previous model.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of HS2 Ltd's assumption that a 400 kph design speed is necessary for HS2.

Earl Attlee: Current designs for HS2 will permit speeds of up to 360 kph initially on some sections of the route with lower speeds in built-up areas. However, speeds of up to 400 kph could be achieved in future should technical advances in high-speed rail technology permit. Following a review undertaken by HS2 Ltd, Review of HS2 London to West Midlands Route Selection and Speed-A Report to Government by HS2 Ltd January 2012, the Government concluded that, given the sizeable loss of benefits from lower speeds and scope to mitigate environmental effects, the current design was appropriate. As more detailed plans for future operations are developed, we will continue to refine our understanding of the balance between the opportunities offered to future passengers through higher line speed and the way in which running at high speed will affect environmental and other impacts of the scheme as well as operational costs.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of HS2 Ltd's decision not to include Heathrow in the route of HS2.

Earl Attlee: The Government believe that the HS2 network should link to Heathrow and its preferred option is for this to be built as part of Phase 2. The Heathrow spur is not part of the initial preferred route for Phase 2 because it has been decided to pause work until after 2015 to allow the conclusions of the independent Airports Commission to be taken into account.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of benefits resulting from each minute of journey time saved as a result of HS2.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport's approach to valuing travel time savings is outlined in the department's transport appraisal guidance (WebTAG). The relevant section can be found at (http://www.dit. gov.uk/webtag/documents/expert/pdf/ u3_5_6-vot-op- cost-120723.pdf). This is the methodology followed in the August 2012 HS2 economic case, where the specific values of time used were consistent with the values recommended by WebTAG at the time the work was specified.
	This guidance differentiates between the valuation of travel time savings for journeys conducted during the working day, commuting journeys and other non-work trips. It also distinguishes between journeys made on different modes for working time to reflect the different characteristics of passengers travelling on each mode.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of HS2 Ltd's decision to serve Birmingham airport with interchanges located on the direct through high-speed alignment, whilst bypassing Heathrow and East Midlands airports.

Earl Attlee: No final decisions have been taken on where the routes and stations should be sited for Phase 2. The Secretary of State for Transport set out his initial preferences for the route in January and a consultation will start later this year ahead of announcing a final decision by the end of 2014. The Government continue to support a direct high-speed connection to Heathrow, as there is a case for providing significant rail capacity to the country's major hub airport. However, in September 2012, the Government launched an independent Airports Commission to identify and recommend options for maintaining the country's global hub status. We consider that further work on a link to Heathrow should now await consideration of the conclusions and recommendation of the Airports Commission. We have therefore paused work on the Heathrow spur. A station at East Midlands Airport was considered by HS2 Ltd. However, the airport market was not significant enough on its own to warrant a station.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by HS2 Ltd to include in their cost estimates a people mover system between the HS2 interchanges at Birmingham airport and the airport terminal.

Earl Attlee: The inclusion of a people mover is a requirement of the HS2 scheme to enable interchange between the planned HS2 station (Birmingham Interchange) with Birmingham International Airport and the NEC. The inclusion by HS2 Ltd of a cost estimate for this link is therefore completely appropriate and expected.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HS2 Ltd will include in their cost estimates a people mover system at an HS2 interchange located on the Great Western Main Line at Iver and Heathrow.

Earl Attlee: The proposed link between HS2 and Heathrow is via a spur from the main line to a station at Terminal 5, to be linked to the terminal by a footbridge. There is no plan for an interchange at Iver.
	Work on the Heathrow link has been paused to allow the findings of the Airports Commission to be taken into account.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HS2 Ltd's option analysis considered the potential for, and wider benefits of, an HS2 route via Heathrow, and connected to the Great Western Main Line.

Earl Attlee: HS2 Ltd considered several options for connecting HS2 to Heathrow, including a through route via Heathrow and a connection to the Great Western Main Line. Following public consultation in 2011, the Government concluded that it was important that HS2 should directly serve Heathrow and that the optimal approach would be via a spur off the main HS2 line.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to updating the business case for HS2 before the Bill is introduced in Parliament to take account of the potential impact on revenue forecasts of open access competition on the rail network.

Earl Attlee: The Government aim to update the business case for HS2 to support consideration of the hybrid Bill for the London-West Midlands phase of the scheme, including consideration of the potential impacts of different regulatory and operating structures.

Railways: High Speed 2

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HS2 Ltd have included in their HS2 Phase Two estimate the cost of a people mover system at the HS2 interchange at Manchester airport; and if so, whether that estimate was calculated in the same way as the Birmingham airport people mover system in the HS2 Phase One estimate.

Earl Attlee: HS2 Ltd has confirmed that it has included the estimated cost of a people mover system for the interchange station at Manchester airport in the Phase 2 cost estimate. This cost estimate was calculated using the same base data as that calculated for the people mover system at Birmingham airport.

Railways: Intercity Express Programme

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the discount rate applied by the Department for Transport when calculating the net present value for the Intercity Express Programme contracts.

Earl Attlee: The discount rate applied when calculating the net present value was stated in the invitation to tender for the rolling stock. The rate is 6.35% and is a product of the basic discount rate, considered to be 3.5% and inflation at 2.75%.

Serious Fraud Office

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Treasury approved any termination payments to senior officers of the Serious Fraud Office in the last two years.

Lord Deighton: HM Treasury has approved one termination payment to a senior officer of the Serious Fraud Office in the last two years.

Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what humanitarian access is permitted by the Government of Sudan to the war-affected areas of Blue Nile and South Kordofan; what is their assessment of the number of civilians dying through lack of food and medicine in those areas; and when they last raised in the United Nations Security Council the enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2046.

Baroness Northover: We continue to press both parties to negotiate a cessation of hostilities which would enable humanitarian access to all areas. The estimated numbers of people affected (approximately 900,000), reports from agencies and from those who have fled to camps in South Sudan and Ethiopia, give us cause for great concern. Access is urgently needed for a full and independent humanitarian needs assessment. We reiterated our calls to parties to allow access in the United Nations Security Council on 12 March. We will keep the possibility of further action in the council under review should forthcoming talks between the parties not yield any progress.

Sudan

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2046 which called on the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North to enter into negotiations, and to permit humanitarian access throughout South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Baroness Northover: Both sides are obliged by decisions of the African Union and UN Security Council to enter direct political talks on a cessation of hostilities, and we are extremely disappointed that this is yet to happen. We hope both parties will meet in March, and we are encouraging them to attend and engage in serious talks without preconditions, focusing first on achieving a cessation of hostilities and allowing full and independent humanitarian access.

Syria

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to a possible scheme for the evacuation from their present locations of persons needing hospital treatment or other urgent rehabilitation as a result of the conflict in Syria, whether within or outside Syria; and what assessment they have made of the efforts of the Government of Saudi Arabia in providing a hospital to relieve the burden on Jordan.

Baroness Northover: The UK is providing significant medical support to sick and injured persons inside Syria, where we have funded over 100,000 medical appointments for sick and injured people. In addition to this, we are providing humanitarian support including health and medical care in neighbouring countries for refugees who have crossed international borders. For example, we are funding an ambulance service to transport Syrian refugees in need of urgent medical attention from the Jordanian border.
	There is strong health provision for refugees in Jordan, including a total of three field hospitals in the camp at Za'atri, one of which has been provided by Saudi Arabia. The UK welcomes all such contributions to the humanitarian relief effort, and we are encouraging all donors to co-ordinate their efforts with the international response, to ensure that the most urgent needs are effectively met.

UN: International Year of Water Co-operation

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the United Nations International Year of Water Co-operation, what steps they intend to take to improve the dissemination and exchange of data on water resources and flooding between countries and United Nations specialised agencies.

Baroness Northover: The Government will continue to promote dissemination and exchange of data on water resources and flooding through DfID's water management programmes in Africa and Asia. The Government have also taken steps to increase the exchange of data and information. For example, DfID's new Water Security Programme is supporting a partnership between the Global Water Partnership and the World Meteorological Organisation to strengthen early warning systems to reduce the vulnerability of poor people to floods and droughts.